The Lobito Port administration announced the presentation of the new French manager, succeeding the Portuguese Francisco Franca, on Monday. The ceremony was presided over by the president of the Angolan port unit, Celso Rosas.
The Lobito Corridor is a key infrastructure that connects the Lobito Port on Angola’s Atlantic coast to the mineral-rich regions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) via a railway line spanning over 1,300 kilometers. This railway links Angola to the DRC and the broader Central African region.
The LAR consortium, which includes Portugal’s Mota-Engil, Switzerland’s Trafigura, and Belgium’s Vecturis, secured a 30-year concession in 2022 to operate and manage the Lobito Corridor and the mineral terminal at the Lobito Port.
During the event, Celso Rosas highlighted the efforts made by the previous management over the past two years, emphasizing that their dedication was “crucial” for reinforcing Lobito Port’s role as a fundamental axis of the Corridor. This was particularly evident from the concession contract signing to the arrival of the first mineral transport ships.
The port’s president, based in Angola’s Benguela province, expressed confidence that the new LAR president would maintain the established work rhythm and achieved results.
Francisco Franca, mentioned in the released statement, described the partnership between Lobito Port and LAR as “solid, prosperous, and with a long-term horizon,” noting the planned arrival of new shipments of over 9,000 containers purchased by LAR in the coming days.
He also announced the company’s plans to operate nine weekly train services carrying minerals soon, five of which will be international, with a rail operation connecting Lobito to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in just six days.
